Legions of brides-to-be lined up outside Filene’s overnight, and when the doors opened Friday morning for the annual “Running of the Brides” sale, they raced inside for huge bridal gown bargains.

(credit: CBS 2)

At 8 a.m., nearly 2,000 brides and their entourages from the Tri-State and beyond, began rifling through the 2,400 gowns on sale in search of the perfect wedding dress. Even more are expected until the doors close at 10 p.m.

“Just grabbing everything we can find and hopefully something works,” said mother of the bride Sherrie Ying.

“We were a little aggressive,” admitted bridesmaid Imani Holman.

Designer, even couture dresses, regularly priced up to $10,000, were available for the bargain price of anywhere from $249 to $699. For many, it’s a deal too good to resist, if you can handle the competition.

“Who doesn’t want to save money? But it’s also fun. This is my sister-in-law and my mom, they both don’t live here, so it’s like a bonding thing too. I mean, who doesn’t want to steal a designer dress?” said another bride.

“I have leggings on under my jeans, and a strapless bra,” said another bride. “I can strip it all off.”

The bargains were incredible but most brides said they came for the experience as much as anything else.

“For me it started out as the bargain. I’m a med student and definitely can’t afford an expensive dress. And then it turned into an experience because you got to get your friends involved,” said May Elansary of New Haven, CT.

Though while your options may be a bit more limited, store managers said there will be plenty of dresses left for those who didn’t want to rush the doors.